1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an insulation system for garage sectional doors. More particularly, the invention relates to an insulation system that provides thermal and audio insulation to a door comprised of multiple sections, such as a garage door.
2. Prior Art
It is convenient for large doors, such as a garage door, to be designed as a series of horizontal sections. The sections are typically divided into panels by a series of stiles and connected to one another by hinges. A series of wheels engage a pair of rails extending along an opening and ceiling of a garage. The garage door is opened by raising the sectional door along the rails until it is engaged with the ceiling portion of the rails. It is preferable to facilitate the opening process by using lightweight material to construct the door.
Garage door sections are typically made of a single, thin wall of sheet metal. This allows the door sections to be light weight and extremely durable. However, sheet metal is very thermally conductive and provides very poor insulation. Garages are consequently a major source of leakage of a controlled climate. This significantly adds to the cost of heating or cooling a structure having a garage. It also makes them impractical for use as an indoor activity area in addition to a storage facility.
It is known to construct garage doors having insulation between two metal walls, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,108 to Overholt et al. Such a design adds significant cost to the manufacturing of the door and is not suitable for retrofitting existing doors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,677 shows a garage door insulation system that has an outer wall of sheet metal, an inner wall of concrete and an insulating layer. Concrete adds considerable weight. And the multi-layer process significantly complicates manufacture of the door. This design is also not conducive to retrofitting insulation to existing garage doors.
More recently, various retro-fit insulating kits have become available for garage doors. These kits allow an insulating material to be applied to existing sectional doors. Typically, they require an insulating material to be permanently attached to the inside of a sectional door panel by means of an adhesive.
Adhesives that effectively bond to a metal surface typically are corrosive to many materials, are toxic and many such glues emit unpleasant and/or toxic fumes. This is disadvantageous because the insulation is applied while the garage door is in the closed position. This necessarily requires that a person applying a glue be exposed to the toxic fumes in a closed room without ventilation. Furthermore, metal substantially expands and contracts as temperature changes. This causes the bonding between a metal sectional door and its insulation to deteriorate. An adhesive itself is often susceptible to degradation when exposed to extreme conditions. Insulation must therefore be periodically reattached or replaced.
Many garage door insulation kits also require the use of tools and application of substantial force to the components. The difficulty and complexity of installing these kits make them impractical and unappealing to persons with limited home improvement skills and ability.
Metal garage and other sectional doors typically have upper and lower walls and protruding lips that provide strength. They often include vertical stiles also having strengthening lips. Insulating sheets having the proper dimensions can be inserted into the void space of the panels of these door sections to provide insulation. However, the insulating sheets are not locked in securely and may loosen and move about. This increases wear on the insulating sheets. It also creates a potential hazard as a sheet may detach and fall, especially when the door is in the up position. It is also not aesthetically pleasing.
It is therefore desirable to provide a means for retrofitting insulation to existing sectional doors.
It is also desirable to provide a means for easily retrofitting insulation to existing sectional doors that does not require adhesives or tools and substantially fills void spaces in the doors.
It is also desirable to provide a means for easily retrofitting insulation to existing sectional doors that has an aesthetically pleasing appearance.